CODEWITHSUNDEEP
java
Samir Mangroliya
Samir Mangroliya

Reputation: 40416

Why java JDK gives option for all OS?

http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/jdk-7u3-download-1501626.html

We know that java is a Platform Independent Language then why does this site provide JDKs for all OSes like Linux, Windows, Solaris?

Then why do we tell java is Platform Independent?

Upvotes: 1

Views: 758

Answers (5)

alain.janinm
alain.janinm

Reputation: 20065

To add to others answers, Java is qualified Platform independent because the code you write is supposed to works on every platform. That's not totally true in fact. The Java code is always compiled in bytecode in the same way, but the JVM interprets this common bytecode in different way in function of the OS, there is one JVM per OS. OS that don't have a JVM implementation to use bytecode can't support Java.

Upvotes: 1

Robert H
Robert H

Reputation: 1663

it is like this:

      your application          
    ---------------------       
          JAVA on OS1           
    ---------------------
           OS1
    ---------------------
         hardware
    ---------------------

if you write your application on top of Java, then you can just move your java application, as is, without changing it, or even compile it, to new OS, because your program is written on one platform, which is Java, not the native OS.

So, you need to download specific Java for your OS. But from application point of view, it is the same API. Java makes your application platform independent since it hides the OS from your application. But Java itself, it has to be compiled and build for each specific OS. But the application do not care about that. The application sees the same API. That is the whole point.

Upvotes: 4

Dominic Weiser
Dominic Weiser

Reputation: 1456

Because there you download the Installer for the Java Virtual Machine. This is the environment where your Java Application is running in.

The reason why Java is OS independent, is because its running in this JVM.

Upvotes: 4

user650228
user650228

Reputation:

The JVM's job is to hide the differences between platforms and to provide the same execution environment to application code regardless of platform.

The JVM is written in C++, and is compiled to a native binary, just like any other C++ application. (You wouldn't expect a .exe file to run on Linux, after all).

So the JVM is platform-specific, but the environment it provides is not.

Upvotes: 2

Sajan Chandran
Sajan Chandran

Reputation: 11487

To explain you in simple terms, you no need to compile your java source code when you move your code from one OS to another, but to run your compiled java code you need to have OS specific Java run time machine. Thats why you have different JDK for different OS.

Upvotes: 1

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